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Showing papers on "Forest produce published in 2002"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine Nepal's forestry policies and use practices during the pre-unification period (pre-1769), the Rana regime (1846-1950), planned development (the 1950s), the Panchayat regime (1960-90) and post-democracy (1990 to the present).
Abstract: The history of Nepalese forestry reveals that very little progress has been made in effectively integrating people's needs with forest management objectives through forestry policy mandates and practices. This paper critically examines Nepal's forestry policies and use practices during the pre-unification period (pre-1769), the Rana regime (1846–1950), planned development (the 1950s), the Panchayat regime (1960–90) and post-democracy (1990 to the present). This historical critique finds that political posturing, rhetoric and personal profiteering have taken precedence over public duty, regardless of whether autocratic or pseudo-democratic regimes were in power. Thus far, forest policy studies have focused on the hill zone of Nepal. This paper focuses on Tarai forestry, and exposes the geopolitical and political economic forces in play. It concludes that a lack of fiscal transparency and accountability on the part of the government, and the monopolistic control of the sale of forest produce by the Timber C...

36 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that NWFP plays a key role in the life and economy of communities living in and around forest and nearly 49 items of NWFP were found to sustain people during lean season in the form of food, fodder, fibre, household articles, medicinal and ornamental form and supplement their income during other seasons, besides catering to religious and aesthetic needs.
Abstract: This study shows that NWFP play a key role in the life and economy of communities living in and around forest. Nearly 49 items of NWFP were found to sustain people (especially the landless and marginalised groups) during lean season in the form of food, fodder, fibre, household articles, medicinal and ornamental form and supplement their income during other seasons, besides catering to religious and aesthetic needs.

6 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
31 Dec 2002-Tropics
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on traditional rubber tapping extractivist population residing within the area demarcated for Porto Dias Extractivist Settlement Project (PAE) in Acre in northwestern part of Brazil.
Abstract: This study reviewed one of the most innovative forest conservation strategies in the Amazonintroducing a timber harvesting management system among rubber tappers. It focused on traditional rubber tapping extractivist population residing within the area demarcated for Porto Dias Extractivist Settlement Project (PAE) in Acre in northwestern part of Brazil. The PAE functions as an extractive reserve administered by the INCRA National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform.Presenting the base-line study results concerning the household, land tenure, subsistence economy as well as forest use, a series of comparative analysis was conducted for the two classified population targets; those who are participants to the forest management project aiming at sustainable timber harvesting, and those who are not participants to the project. The study tried to identify and examine the determining factors governing the introduction of community forestry management systems for rubber tappers in the region. Among a variety of land use options concerning the forest use including extractivism of forest produce, agriculture and livestock raising, a specific consideration was given to the extractivism -harvesting of a diverse array of produce to be consumed and potentially commercialized, such as latex, raisin, edible fruits, medicinal oil and plants, fibers and dyes, in addition to animal and fish products. The study results affirmed that rubber tappers showed a strong orientation towards forest extractivism for a cash earning strategy. Further, it was found that they were maintaining a subsistence economy to the extent their nonmonetary economic values greatly surpass their cash revenues obtained by commercializing available forest and agricultural products and livestock.Further, ‘the forest dependency’-defined as the degree of dependency on forest extractivism both on monetary and non-monetary terms-was measured and comparatively analyzed between forest management participants and non-participants. Two significant implications were derived. First, a rather homogenous nature in forest use and the resource dependency was identified among rubber tappers for both the participants to the forest management and non-participants within the Porto Dias PAE area in Acre. Second, due to the homogeneity in forest use for the two groups, the incentive for introducing forest management systems may arise influenced by factors independent of the degree of forest dependency, such as access to policy incentives, the degree of social organization and organizational strength of the local population.

1 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of the state forest department as a facilitator is explored with the help of a game theoretic perspective and the benefits and costs of defection are explored.
Abstract: Involving local communities in protecting the forests in West Bengal, India has arrested the appalling rate of degradation, but it is equally evident that there is considerable room for improvement. This is explored with the help of a game theoretic perspective. The village members of the Forest Protection Committee (FPC), who want a range of benefits from the forests, are the players of the game. Although it remains far more powerful, the role of the State Forest Department is supposed to have shifted to that of a facilitator. Now, if the level of sustainable extraction of forest resources is known, if an opportunity is given to the players to discuss modes of co-operation so that equal amounts of the resource go to each player and if individual payoffs under co-operation are greater than under non-cooperation, the players will clearly prefer to cooperate. In case payoffs are not fixed and there are uncertainties regarding future payoffs, the historical experience of past payoffs is very crucial in determining the probability of future payoffs. Hence the payoffs or the probable payoffs are very crucial. If these are large enough, the game being discussed should have a stable equilibrium with all players conforming. With this in mind, the weaknesses of the existing system and the benefits and costs of defection are explored. Alternative game scenarios and payoff structures are then discussed. It is indicated that our policy makers should redefine and bring clarity to the role of the forest department as a facilitator and increase its efficiency in this role, introduce equity in the sharing of both rights and responsibilities (between men and women and between socio-economic groups) and increase payoffs to forest protection by (amongst other things) enhancing the returns from non-timber forest produce (NTFP) and regularizing as well as enhancing felling returns. At the same time, the state should look at the factors that are connected to illegal timber felling or the over-extraction of NTFP and try to eliminate those which encourage such behaviour as well as enhance those which discourage it. Steps have to be taken to improve the operation of the FPC. Finally, methods have to be evolved to strengthen the role of social sanction as a strong disincentive for potential offenders.

1 citations